Music4U - a new music partnership covering York, East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire and led by the National Centre for Early Music met together for the first in September 2012.

With the inspiration of some of the young musicians and bands who have taken part in Music4U's many activities over the past 11 years, the partners looked ahead and discussed upcoming collaborative projects, which will engage with babies through to eighteen year olds, over the next 18 months.

The undoubted highlight of the day was a performance from singer/song-writer Molly Curtis and Friends (Goole School of Rock), who performed two of Molly's own new songs and Hull Rhythm Pixies, an eight-piece urban tribal fusion band, who performed their own composition - rounded off by an appropriate and tub-thumping cover of the Beatles 'Come Together'.

Molly Curtis said: "Music4U has been a great experience from the start. It's given me the opportunity to start as a support act, move on to become a house band and through that meet up with the band Rhodes at The Junction in Goole." She added: "I'm looking forward to taking things further at college and working on promoting myself through social media. Music4U has given me fantastic support in so many areas and the confidence to believe that if you have a talent you can and should just go for it."

Stevie Mould, one of Hull Rhythm Pixies's young vocalists said: "Through Music4U I've had the amazing experience of performing at Musicport and my confidence has just grown and grown - before this came along I didn't even play guitar or sing! I really want to carry on performing as I've really enjoyed all the people I've met through Music4U."

18 year-old Jason Mulligan, guitar and vocals added: "I started playing at Music4U gigs when I was 14, moved on to Festival in the Parks and by 16 I was doing Musicport. It's given me a fantastic opportunity to make music in different genres from Indian, African music through to playing the Egyptian Lute! I became a music mentor in 2010 and have really enjoyed supporting and exploring different typed of music with younger musicians who have different skills to my own."

As part of the conference, David Power, Principal Arts Officer for NE Lincolnshire, explained how the new Creativity Project would roll out across the six regions over the next 12 months. Young composers will be able to engage with each other and share their work through social media and through feeding in to a digital musical map of original compositions and covers. David noted: "We're keen to ensure that the project encourages young people to compose and provides them with the tools to feel they can do that." Working through the process to discover best practise will result in an online resources pack which will ensure the project leaves a legacy for future young composers.

Mark Hildred, Creative Director, Apollo Creative, who has been working with Music4U's All Aboard presented an overview of this exciting new Early Years project for 0-5year olds. New technology has been used to enhance the successful 2005 version of the All Aboard project. Mark has been working with Andrew to develop a new, state of the art, project model which enables very young children to get involved in composition through a colourful, fun, safe and highly interactive wireless technology system. More details on this project can be found here.

Emily Crossland, Music4U Administrator, rounded off the day by inviting everyone to take part in a short Gamelan Session on the Javanese 'White Flower' Gamelan. Shoes off... and everyone got stuck in! Brilliant and satisfying fun and a great way to introduce the plans for a week-long Gamelan residency at the NCEM in Spring 2013.